The Crescent Moon that mesmerized the Green Snake
by BriyahnaYanique
Summary: This Story is going to pick up where it originally left off in April under by MistressMage account. For some reason, my stories and drafts have been deleted and I didn't make back up copies. Please refer to the first CMGS story for the actual summary then come back here once you're caught up. Just know that its a Draco x Female OC story co written with HollyHobbit101.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I liiiive! I know, I know I've been dead for a few months, but I'm back and I'm ready to continue this story and see it through to the end with HollyHobbit101 to help me. This chapter is co written with her; be sure to check out her work on this site as well. In other news, neither of us owns Harry Potter,or the characters associated with it. **

* * *

The tension that filled the expansive room was thick enough to cut with a knife between the older witch and her great grandchildren. While Jaime sat calm, collected, but angry, Oliver now started to pace through out the room; starting with the fireplace and moving between the couches and towards the windows. All while tousling his hair and trying to get his breathing and shaking under control. Once he was slightly calmer, Oliver spoke, voice nothing short of angry.

"It was him, wasn't it? That Malachite guy? He's the one who caused the fire? Who is he to us?"

Olenna watched him sad eyes, sighing deeply to herself before noticing how stone cold Jaime seemed to be. At least she was a bit more level headed than her brother.

"Yes. Your great, great grandfather. He's also the reason why I was unable to reach the two of you sooner and were sent o Hogwarts. He thought that by isolating the two of you at Hogwarts, you'd pay for the sins of your parents". she replied, solemnly. Jaime seemed to perk up at this, remembering everything else that she'd just witnessed in the flashbacks- all of the arranged marriages, almost militaristic control that he had over the family, and now this. **It would no great for Malachite to organize her and Draco's relationship from the shadows.** But as soon the though enter her mind, Jaime shook it away. There's no way he'd be able to fake something like this for this long; Slytherins weren't exactly known for being discreet or subtle. Much to her surprise, Oliver didn't respond to Olenna's words and just took his place back on the couch next to his sister, burying his head in his hands. This gave her a chance to speak.

"Where is he now?" she asked. To which Olenna shook her head in a negative gesture and briefly looked at the ground before going back to Jaime.

"I don't know, however, I was fortunate enough to get a hold of the two of you before he could notice right away. But do know that he's planning something big. I know you'll hate me for this, but I cant have the two of you around when he returns". she explained, in a tone of voice that left no room for argument. Something that made Oliver jump out of his seat and move towards the door in four quick strides, talking all the while.

"I don't hate you, I'm just angry!" he shouted, now leaving his sister and great grandmother alone. The fire on the fire place no went partially still, with not single flame flickering or wood crackling against the smoldering ash and embers. Neither witch said anything as the younger still tried to wrap her head around the notion of her parents being killed for no better reason than just wanting to live their lives and raise a family, while the older took in her great granddaughter's disposition. For all of Jaime's strength, skill, and stoicism, she was just a girl first and foremost. A girl thrown head first into the harsh reality of adulthood and life in general. Before long, Olenna moved to sit closer to Jaime, turning her head to face her great, great grandmother and gingerly moving a few strands of loose hair out of he face in a fleeting attempt to console her. In any other situation or tragedy, this would have worked...but not this time. Yet Olenna wasn't prepared to let another child sulk any longer.

"Listen to me: You cant judge yourself based on your parent's decisions. They raised you as best as they could and gave you everything you needed to take on the world should something happen to them. Now you get to decide what kind of person you're going to be". she said, reassuringly. Jaime heard her words, yet they did nothing for her but push her to lightly pull her head out of Olenna's grip, stand to her feet with more languid movements compared to her brother, and leave the room. But she never made it to the staircase before she practically ran to a nearby window, hoisted herself onto the ledge, and drew her knees close to her chest, now feeling a few tears tart to well up, spill rom her tear ducts and slid down her cheeks. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she was letting herself grieve. Two hours later, she as still sitting at in the window sill, now overlooking the massive landscape that the villa sat on, the light of the half moon illuminating the grassy plains of her family home. IN the back of her mid, she hoped that Draco was having a better vacation than she was.

* * *

Draco stepped cautiously into the dining room. His father had summoned him here, for reasons unbeknownst to Draco, but he knew it couldn't be for anything good. Lucius was stood by the grand table in the centre of the room, another wizard he'd never seen before next to him. Both turned at the sound of Draco's footsteps and the other man's face contorted into a sneering smile.

"This must be your son, Lucius," he said, eyes flashing with interest.

"Yes. Come here, Draco; I have someone I would like you to meet." Lucius beckoned him closer and, with reluctance, Draco walked to stand in front of his father. Now he was closer he could see the strange wizard's features clearer, and Draco's eyes were immediately drawn to the edge of a dark tattoo on his left forearm. Draco suppressed a shudder and forced himself to focus on the man's face. He sported a thin goatee and he had slicked his black hair back. His slate grey eyes betrayed no hint of emotion and Draco felt cold just looking into them.

"Draco, this is-"

"My name is not of import." The stranger cut Lucius off, earning himself a look of disdain, and took a step towards Draco. "I have questions for you, Draco Malfoy. Our Lord has questions for you."

Draco let out a shuddering breath, but refused to look cowed before this man. "Yes?" he asked, sounding almost bored.

"We are wondering about your frankly quite lacklustre efforts to do your duty and kill Albus Dumbledore. You have been at Hogwarts since September; what could possibly be taking you so long? A lack of opportunity, perhaps? Or are you just not feeling up to the task? Pray tell."

The taller man bared his teeth in a shark-like smile, and Draco felt his throat close up even as he attempted to form a believable answer. Unfortunately, before he could, Lucius jumped in, sensing his opportunity.

"Oh, no, nothing like that at all. Draco here is enamoured with a girl," he sneered.

"A girl?" the stranger said, curiosity tinting his voice. "Really?"

Draco sighed, feeling backed into a corner. "Yes," he said reluctantly. "Her name is Jaime Cressy, a Ravenclaw student in my year at Hogwarts. Her and her brother, Oliver, they're currently on holiday in Greece with their grandmother as their parents died. Both of them had magic, too," he added hastily. "The Cressys are a very ancient wizarding family. She's a pureblood, I swear."

"Jaime Cressy, you say?"

Draco nodded mutely.

"Then I have just the thing for you."

He reached into his coat pocket and drew out a brass ring with a Greek insignia stamped on it. "This is a Portkey," he informed Draco. "It will take you straight to you beloved Jaime; just tap it with your wand, and you're off."

Draco took it hesitantly, and frowned up at the man. "How did you come by this?" he asked suspiciously.

"I have long-standing ties with the family; it is not of import," he dismissed. "Go. Spend the night with the girl you love, and we will talk more about the real work in the morning."

Unsure, Draco glanced first at his father, then at the Death Eater, who had his eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Well? Go. We wouldn't want to see this gift go to waste now, would we?"

Draco's shoulders slumped in defeat and, seeing no other option, he pulled out his wand and lightly tapped it on the ring's insignia. The last thing he saw before he was whisked away into a whirlwind was the shark-like grin and cold eyes that Draco knew would plague him for the entirety of this visit.

Unprepared for the force with which he landed, Draco crashed heavily to his knees in the damp grass, breathing hard. As he pulled himself to his feet he studied his surroundings, taking in a large villa overlooking beautiful, floral gardens. At first glance, everything appeared completely ordinary, but when Draco looked closer he could see the entire area was alive, and positively humming with magic. He began walking through the twisting paths, keeping an eye out for any sign of Jaime.

As he got closer to the house, he noticed a figure curled up in one of the lower windows. Upon advancing further, he made out Jaime's raven hair and smiled, something tender filling him as he watched her. He continued making his way towards the house, internally debating how he was going to surprise Jaime. He could, of course, simply knock on the door and wait for her to answer, but that would perhaps be underwhelming and, besides, he couldn't guarantee that it would be Jaime who answered. Her grandmother could just as easily turn him away before he got a chance to speak to Jaime. Maybe he should tap on the window she was sitting by, but that might be too shocking. How then…

Lost in his thoughts, Draco caught his foot on a rock as he walked and ended up sprawled on the ground. He winced in pain as he slowly sat up and began to get to his feet, dusting himself off. He glanced back towards Jaime's window, then froze as he saw her staring at him open-mouthed.

Well. So much for the surprise.

He grinned awkwardly at her and raised a hand in greeting, but her stunned expression morphed into something Draco couldn't decipher and she stood abruptly, marching away from the window. Draco heard the slamming of the front door and, realizing he was still half crouching like a fool, hurriedly straightened up and turned to face the direction Jaime was coming from.

She seemed to be almost glaring as she strode toward him, making Draco shuffle nervously. He wasn't sure what reaction he'd been expecting, but this? This wasn't it. He felt his mouth go dry as she stopped a meter or so in front of him, arms folded, waiting.

"Hi?" he said uncertainly. A few more beats of silence passed and Draco felt his heart rate go up a couple more notches. "So… Am I-"

Jaime cut him off by running forward and crushing him in a tight hug, almost knocking him off his feet. Draco huffed a laugh as he caught his breath and hugged her back just as tightly, gripping the fabric of her coat.

When they separated, Jaime reached up a hand to stroke Draco's face. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Draco hesitated, then shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. "Um… surprise?"

Jaime laughed and grabbed his hand, dragging him into the house. Draco relaxed as she pulled him along, but he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty over not telling her about the strange man at Malfoy Manor. Something told him that it was for the best, though. There was something about him that didn't sit right with Draco, and he didn't want to drag Jaime into this whole mess too.

The pair sat in the same window seat Jaime had been curled up in earlier.

"How's your holiday been so far?" Jaime asked, tracing circles on Draco's arm.

Draco started and frantically tried to think of something to say. "Oh, not much really. Father's been busy with work - Ministry work – and Mother does what she can to help him. I just read mostly."

Jaime looked at him sympathetically and smiled softly. "That's a shame that your parents are so busy all the time."

Draco cleared his throat and shifted on the seat. "Yes, well. What about you?"

"I'm good. This place brings back a lot of memories of before my parents…" She sniffed, and Draco reached over with his free hand to comfort her. She leaned into the touch and smiled at him. "But yeah. It's been good."

"Good," Draco said, nodding. Silence fell between them once more, but it was a comforting silence. Draco closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall, relishing being in the presence of the girl he loved.

"How long are you staying for?" Jaime asked softly.

"Just today," Draco replied, not opening his eyes.

"Then I suppose we'll have to make the most of our time, hm?" Jaime's voice had taken on a different tone, and when Draco looked at her, she was wearing a wicked grin with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Jaime, what-" Draco protested, but she was grabbing his hand and pulling up from the seat. A laugh bubbled up in his chest and, as she pulled him through the halls, he felt happier than he had done in a long time.

The two of them made it back to her bedroom in record time where she pulled Draco to sit on her bed and pulled him into a deep kiss that sent a surge of heat rippling through her body. Wanting feed this newfound fire, Jaime climbed into Draco's lap, hiking her dress up over her thighs and never breaking the kiss. Thankfully, it was loose enough to wear it didn't constrict her from straddling the boy in front of her. Feeling this, Draco maneuvered his hands so that one was firmly pressed onto her back, and the other was roaming her clothed body. Jaime didn't protest this but only broke the kiss to remove his jacket. Once it was taken shoulders, their lips reconnected while her hands began to roam his chest, tracing the patterns of his toned chest. At the feeling of his, Draco let out small, yet audible moan; something that made Jaime smirk into the kiss as she established dominance over him. By now, Draco was on the verge of removing her dress from her body, but not before her fingers started to unbutton his shirt, and in no time at all remove it from her shoulders. Again, they broke the kiss to make eye contact, as if telepathically contemplating the decision they were about to make; the act they were about to commit. Its' been said that grief makes people think irrationally, but as of now, Jaime's head has never felt clearer. After a bit more kissing, groping, heavy petting and the eventual shedding of their clothes, the two of them laid down on the bed and came together in a throe of passion that seemed to wash away their troubles and let them forget abut everything- about the fire, about their families, about anything that threatened to disturb their time together in this moment. Once it was over, Jaime and Draco laid across from each other on her bed, with Jaime only having a blanket her bare body while Draco as partially dressed.

"I'm sorry I have to go so soon," Draco said, holding tight onto Jaime's hand.

"No, it's okay," she reassured him. "Besides, it's been the best."

"Yeah, it was." Draco looked down at the ring on his finger and sighed heavily. "I should probably be going," he said.

Jaime smiled and wound her hand round the back of his neck. "Okay," she whispered, sending tingles down Draco's spine. "But before you go…" She pulled him down so that their lips met and kissed him softly.

When they finally broke apart Jaime laughed at the dazed look on Draco's face. "Go on then," she said, pushing him gently. "Don't make me force you."

Draco smiled and pulled out his wand. "I love you, Jaime," he said.

She beamed at him. "I love you too."

Draco sighed again, then tapped his wand to the ring. The last thing he saw before he was whisked away was Jaime's bright grin and beautiful eyes.

When he landed the same stranger from before was waiting for him. Draco gazed at him distrustfully before moving to walk away, but the stranger put out a hand to stop him.

"I trust you enjoyed yourself," he said, pouring himself a drink.

"That's none of your business," Draco said stiffly.

"I wish that were true, Mr. Malfoy, but alas. I need to make sure that you are now prepared to carry out your mission."

"I am," Draco protested. "I always have been."

"No, Mr. Malfoy, you have not," he said, glaring at Draco menacingly. "You have been too preoccupied with this girl to focus on the task at hand, and our Lord is not known for his patience. This is why I was forced to step in. But now that she is out of your system, I trust-"

"What did you say," Draco hissed.

The stranger bared his teeth in a shark-like grin. "I said, that now you have rid yourself of this silly little infatuation, you will be able to carry out your mission with the utmost alacrity."

Draco stared at him, horrified and enraged at the insinuation. "You believe that my relationship has been nothing but a crush, easily rid of with a night alone?"

The stranger inclined his head in assent. Draco sighed angrily and shook his head in disbelief. He stepped closer to the man and sneered up at him.

"You know nothing about me, or my feelings. I love Jaime, and I would do anything for her."

"Anything?" the stranger prompted, a hint of curiosity colouring his tone.

"Anything," Draco replied savagely. "If it came to it, I would assassinate everyone in that damned school if it kept her safe from him."

"Interesting," the stranger said amusedly. "Have it your way then. Ensure you delay no longer," he warned, then Apparated away, leaving Draco standing in the middle of the room, alone and confused.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** **All characters in this fanfic do not belong to me or the co author HollyHobbit101. The only characters I own are my OCs Jaime and Oliver. As I said before, this story is being co written with HollyHobbit101; be sure to check out her profile and show her some support.**

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The rest of the winter vacation passed by in a desponded blur that blindsided both the Cressy siblings and Draco. Yet all of three of them returned to Hogwarts, seeming to carry even heavier burdens than when they first started. But somewhere in the midst of all this madness and darkness, Jaime and Draco still found a way to male their relationship work and more importantly, thrive- despite the secret he was keeping from her. Occasionally, they'd sneak off to the Astronomy Tower in the dead of night for a passionate tryst that ended in long hugs before they snuck back to their respective dorms just as the sun rose. If Oliver knew anything about this, he did a good job of not saying anything about it. Not that he could stop his sister, anyway. With the snow still covering the ground in thick blankets, students took advantage of the winter wonderland as much as they could with snowball fights every other day. But the Cressy siblings preferred the warmth of the castle and amused themselves by playing a few chess games now and again during meals. But today was another matter entirely as Professor Snape cancelled Jaime's class for the day but not before giving homework that was due by next class time. By fourth period, the rumor floating around the school was that Snape was summoned to assist McGonagall in helping a student who'd been hexed by a cursed necklace- not that Jaime had a reason to be concerned as she and Oliver sat at one of the desks in the library while she helped him study for his Herbology quiz. While Jaime sat with her eyes glued to he paper, Oliver played with a rubber band ball that he transfigured from one of his crumpled wads of parchment paper. Jaime looked up from the paper and watched him do this with a brief roll of her eyes.

"Suddenly, I get the feeling that I'm the only one studying here", she said only half sarcastically. Oliver gave an eyeroll of his own and caught the ball in his hand and looked at his sister languidly.

"There's no shame in taking breaks between studying", he replied with a chuckle before his tone of voice became a tad more serious.

"Speaking of shame, do you ever thing of...him at all?" he asked, referring to their Death Eater relative who had a hand in their parent's deaths. The atmosphere around the two of them now was thick enough to cut with a wand as Jaime put the paper down and heaved a sigh that calmed her down and temporarily washed away any negative thoughts that she had about what she'd do if she and Malachite ever crossed paths.

"Probably more than I should", she replied, quietly. Oliver nodded in understanding, knowing how dark his sister could get when she was angry. Maybe he should've let a little more time pas before asking something like that. He now tried for a bit of lighthearted banter.

"Good thing Snape cancelled class today, am I right?" he asked with a small smile.

"I guess", she replied, turning her attention back to the parchment in front of her, marking it with her quill for a bit before sliding it towards Oliver.

"Because now you get to redo some of this questions that you got wrong", she said with a teasing lint in her voice. Oliver clicked his tongue in annoyance before working to re do his wrong answers, glad for his sudden decision to change the subject entirely. The next week was an uneventful one for both Cressy siblings until one day when Jaime heard a bit of news that made her heart drop to the point that it hurt. As she was retuning a stack of books to Madam Pince, she 's caught bits and pieces of a conversation between Slytherin girls from nearby.

"Yeah, I heard that Weasley kid is still in the infirmary from being poisoned".

"No way! That's makes him and Katie Bell. I hear she's still suffering from the after affects of that cursed necklace".

"That's not even the worst of it. Have you heard about hat happened to Draco?"

"No. What?"

"Supposedly, he and Harry Potter got into a fight in the loo and it ended with Draco getting carried out by Snape- crying and bloody". That was all Jaime needed to hear before she ran out of the library, her personal belongings now forgotten, and made straight for the infirmary. Once there, she looked around at each and every bed until she saw the one that Draco was in.

Jaime hesitated in the doorway of the hospital wing. She could see Draco's bed about halfway down the ward and she longed to run over to him, make sure he was okay. And yet, her feet refused to move. She took a shaky breath and quickly swiped a hand over her eyes to clear the tears that had begun to blur her vision. She hesitated a moment longer, then forced herself forward, her heart beating faster with each step.

Draco was asleep when she got to him, so pale he was almost indistinguishable from the bed sheets. His hands lay on top of the blankets, spidery veins standing out starkly against the papery skin. Jaime reached out and gently stroked a hand down his face, shocked at how hollow his cheeks were. She hadn't realised how thin he'd become.

Draco stirred at her touch. Jaime held her breath and kept her eyes trained on his face, watching as his eyes fluttered and slowly cracked open. He looked around for a moment before focussing on her. Jaime tried for a smile, but it must have looked more like a grimace, as Draco frowned at her in concern.

"Is something wrong, Jaime?" he asked, voice weak and raspy.

Jaime sniffed. "Is something wrong?" she repeated. "You're in a hospital bed, Draco! Why- I mean, how- What happened, Draco, I-" Jaime broke off as her voice broke, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. She bent her head and sniffled, hastily wiping them away.

"I'm sorry," Draco whispered. "I'm sorry all this has happened, I'm sorry you've been dragged into it, I'm sorry for everything I've done; it was never meant to go like this."

Jaime looked up at him, frowning in confusion. "What do you mean, 'what you've done'?"

"I…" Draco hesitated, before his face crumpled and he closed his eyes, sighing wearily. "I'm sure you're aware that my family is not the most… reputable."

"Yes, but I swear I don't care about that-"

"I know that," Draco cut her off. "There's something that you need to know, Jaime. You're not going to like it, and I understand if you hate me afterwards, but I can't keep this from you."

Jaime's frown deepened, her worry spiking at the almost panicked look on Draco's face. "Draco, what is it?" she asked.

"You remember when I came to you during the holidays?" Jaime nodded. "A man – one of my father's… associates, I don't know his name – came to my house. He gave me a ring, said it was a Portkey that would take me to you. So I used it, but when I returned, he told me that he had only done it to get you out of my system so that I could carry out my mission properly. I promise you, Jaime, this isn't just a fling, and I told him as much, but-"

"What mission, Draco?" Jaime interrupted, brushing his assurances aside. She knew that what they had between them was something solid; she needed no solace on that count.

Draco looked away from her then, almost ashamed. His hands started fidgeting nervously with the blanket, only stilling when Jaime gently laid her hand atop his. He glanced up nervously, eyes wide and full of fear. She smiled at him encouragingly.

"Okay," he whispered, nodding slowly. "Okay. My mission. I was given it in the summer, not long before the school year begun. I- I have to-"

Draco broke off, letting out a shuddering breath. Jaime squeezed his hand gently, and he looked directly at her, the intensity of his gaze scaring her a little.

"I have to kill Dumbledore."

Jaime drew back involuntarily, shocked to the core at Draco's revelation. A burning rage filled her – not rage at Draco, but for him; rage at the scum who had forced him to agree to such a thing. She clenched her hands into fists, her body tensed as she thought of all the ways she wanted to hurt the people who had done this to him. Oh, the things she would do to Malachite if he were here now…

"I'm sorry." Draco's whisper cut through Jaime's haze, and she snapped back to herself in time to see the tears slipping down his cheeks and falling from his lashes. Her anger instantly cooled, replaced instead by pity and sadness. She leaned forwards and pressed a soft kiss to Draco's cheek, smiling at his startled expression.

"I don't hate you, Draco," she told him. "I could never hate you."

"But… I lied to you, I kept this from you, I tried to kill a person," Draco stammered.

"You were forced to," she said. "Of course I forgive you for this; how can I not after all my family have done?"

"What?" Draco asked, confused.

Jaime shook her head. "I promise I'll tell you everything, soon, but first you need to rest."

Draco opened his mouth to protest, but Jaime silenced him with a quick kiss. "I'll see you soon."

He grumbled, but sank back down into the bed, closing his eyes. Jaime watched him for a few seconds, then rose, tip-toeing out of the ward.

Back in the Ravenclaw dorms, Jaime did everything in her power to distract herself from how angry she was- from rekindling the fire in the fire place to making small talk with one of the newer ghosts that passed through the walls. But so far, nothing was working. As if things weren't bad enough already, now they had to deal with this. While she didn't know him that well, Jaime was set in her belief that her great uncle was a sick Son of a Bitch.

By now, she sat in one of the cushy chairs with both of her legs draped over the chair's right arm, and her arms in her lap while staring up at the ceiling. Unmoving and quieter than ever; no different than how she looked when she first arrived at Hogwarts. Not even Oliver could pull his sister out of his slump, sighing in defeat and going up to his room to do some homework. It wasn't until a few hours later when a few more Ravenclaw students burst into the common room crying did she understand the enormity of the situation.

Dumbledore died.

Jaime heard it as a rumour, whispers of the Headmaster's death reverberating through the castle and bouncing off the stone walls.

Dumbledore is dead, have you heard? Someone's killed him. Dumbledore is dead.

As soon as she heard is, she knew that they were here. She ran out of Ravenclaw Tower, grabbing Oliver on the way, ignoring his shouts of protest. They had to find Draco, he wasn't safe now that Death Eaters were wandering Hogwarts.

They stumbled through the hallways, Jaime peering down every corridor for any sign of Draco. She was barely watching where she was going, her feet moving on muscle memory more than anything, her mind racing with thoughts of Draco. It was this inattentiveness that led them straight into a body blocking their path. Jaime and Oliver stumbled back, blinking up at the figure before them. He shifted so that the light hit his face, and Jaime felt horror rise in her as she saw him.

Malachite.

As Jaime stood frozen by shock, Oliver ripped away from her with a yell and rushed towards Malachite, his wand slicing through the air as he shouted a spell.

"Oliver!" Jaime cried, breaking out of her stupor, but she was too late. Malachite grinned and easily deflected the spell Oliver threw at him, sending him sprawling halfway down the corridor, hitting the ground with a thud. Jaime rushed to stop Malachite from attacking her brother any further, but he just turned his gaze on her, overpowering her quickly. Her vision swam as she lay on the cool stone, her movements slow and sluggish.

The click of Malachite's boots echoed in her ears as he approached them, standing over Jaime with a cold smirk on his face.

"I should've known," he sneered. "All this talk of your abilities, and yet you're nothing more than carbon copies of your pathetic, weakling father."

At the mention of her father, the same anger she had felt before filled Jaime, spurring her on as she lunged to her feet with a roar.

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed, summoning all the fury and strength she had to send a powerful blast of magic Malachite's way.

Malachite threw up his wand, and the magic gathered at its tip, forming a crackling ball of pure energy.

"You should learn to watch your mouth before your elders," he remarked, far too casually. Then, he threw Jaime's magic back at her, the ball slamming into her chest and sending her flying away from him.

The last thing Jaime heard before she hit the floor was Malachite's laughter ringing all around her.

As Jaime slumped, unmoving, next to her brother, Draco launched himself out of the shadows, a howl of despair tearing itself out of his throat. Greyback followed him, reaching out and gripping his arm tight, preventing him from going to her.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Greyback growled at Malachite. "Kill them!"

"No!" Draco cried, earning himself a glare from both older Death Eaters.

"They've seen us, boy," Greyback said. "They can't live now, else they'll report us to the Ministry."

Draco shook his head frantically. "No. No. We can't kill them; Dumbledore's death is bad enough, but if we kill these two then we'll have made enemies of an incredibly powerful, pure-blood family."

Malachite turned a considering gaze on him. "And what would you have us do, if not kill them?" he asked coolly.

Draco breathed out shallowly. "We take them with us. I'll supervise them personally, make sure they don't do anything that would harm us or our cause. Besides, they're purebloods, and we need all the numbers we can get. They could prove useful to us."

Draco grimaced as he finished speaking, hating every word. The idea of using Jaime and Oliver was poison to him, but it was the only way he could see that would save them both. Greyback snarled his disapproval, but Malachite brushed him aside, approaching Draco slowly.

"Alright. We'll do it your way. But you'd best keep them in line, or else we'll have no choice," he warned.

Draco nodded stiffly, watching with barely-concealed anger as Jaime and Oliver's bodies were lifted up and carried away. He followed quickly behind, never taking his eyes off Jaime.

I'll fix this, Jaime, he thought. I promise.


End file.
